Meet NTG at this year IBIC2023 beam instrumentation conference 10.–14. Sept. 2023 in Saskatoon Canada at booth no. 10. Learn about our efforts towards arrival time monitors.

Watch out for B. E. J. Scheible’s et al. paper on “First Measurements of an Electro-Optical Bunch Arrival-Time Monitor Prototype with PCB-Based Pickups for ELBE”, TUP012 – and many more!
For further information click here: IBIC 2023

For more than 30 years, NTG has been engaged in the development and distribution of ion beam processing systems for the manufacture of ultra-precise flat and curved surfaces of optical components, alongside other product areas from science and research. The primary focus is on the correction of flatness over the entire surface. Based on an ion beam planarisation process, the technology presented at the conference aims to optimise the surface roughness. 

Examples of applications are metal mirrors with extremely smooth surfaces, which are used as optical elements e.g. in computer chip production, in laser projectors and in space mirrors. The surfaces are generally made of nickel-phosphorus (NiP) and are produced with an ultra-precise diamond tool on a turning machine with a surface texture (roughness) ranging within 5 nm. However, for the development of high-performance optical metal mirrors, an improvement of the surface smoothness to below 1 nm is required.

Our approach consists of a new polymer coating for surface pre-treatment and the adjustment of the levelling material by varying the required ion beam parameters. We will present the system technology and show first results of NiP mirrors with a reduction of the RMS roughness to approx. 20% of the initial value.

Our electrical engineering student, Marcel Paul, who has already set a world speed record with a “regular” Bobby-Car, is currently planning to attempt a new record with an electrically driven Bobby-Car. Once again, he was actively supported by his colleagues and the well-equipped machine park of NTG.

Almost everything for the e-Bobby Car was manufactured at NTG except the bobby car body, the motor, the battery and some standard parts. The vehicle was designed by Marcel Paul in the SolidWorks 3D CAD programme. This was followed by the manufacturing drawings.

Here you see a first test run:

NTG manufactures parts for e-bobby car world record attempt

Our electrical engineering student, Marcel Paul, who has already set a world speed record with a “regular” Bobby-Car, is currently planning to attempt a new record with an electrically driven Bobby-Car. Once again, he was actively supported by his colleagues and the well-equipped machine park of NTG.

Almost everything for the e-Bobby Car was manufactured at NTG except the bobby car body, the motor, the battery and some standard parts.

The vehicle was designed by Marcel Paul in the SolidWorks 3D CAD programme. This was followed by the manufacturing drawings.

After that, the processing steps began within the company:

1. starting with the base plate and the preliminary work on the individual components on the StM Waterjet 3020 Premiumcut 3D/68 waterjet cutting system.
2. the semi-finished products were then machined on different machines:

• Turned parts such as the rims, the drive shaft and the front axles were produced on the Okuma LB 400.
• Milled parts were manufactured on the machines Deckel Maho DMU 80, Deckel Maho DMC 160 U, Maho 800 and Maho MH500-W2.

3. quality control was carried out after completion.
4. the mechanical lightweight chassis was assembled in the mechanics department.
5. a first test without the motor followed. The motor and battery were manufactured externally during this time.
6. after the motor and battery arrived, they were installed and wired in the electrical department.
7. the vehicle was programmed using software and CAN bus and made ready to be driven.

In a manner of speaking, the vehicle went from drawing board to completion through the entire manufacturing cycle within NTG.

The next step was to optimise the performance parameters in preparation for the world record attempt on August 10, 2023 between 6 and 8 p.m. on the high-speed “Parabolika” track section of the Hockenheimring.

Where normally the big racing cars and Formula 1 are at home, the two students Marcel Paul (right) and David Reimund (left) will achieve the fastest speed to date with a contemporary e-bobby car with their barely 70 cm long and 30 kg light mini-bolide under the specifications of Guinness World Records and the Record Institute for Germany.

For this we wish the racers MUCH SUCCESS!!!

At the end of May, two new machining centres by SPINNER Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik GmbH, the VC1150 and VC1650, joined our production facility in Hall 1, providing us with additional machine capacity. Both machines are ideally suited for heavy workpieces and impress with their small footprint combined with a spacious processing area. In addition to their performance, the machines’ special feature is their precision.

For us in the field of custom plant construction, machinery on which we can carry out 3-axis machining is a basic requirement. With the help of the VC1150 and VC1650, we have been able to double the possibilities of 3-axis machining in our Hall 1 in terms of component size and ultimately even triple the throughput speed.

The flexibility of NTG’s own production is considerably increased by this investment and fulfils the most demanding requirements.
We are also happy to use these machines for your single-part and series production.

We are looking forward to your enquiries 

NTG is a founding member and represented on the board.

The CC UPOB emerged in 1998 from a competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to establish sustainable networks on various nanotechnology topics. The establishment of the network was supported by BMBF funds in the first few years.

As an administrative base to establish the network structure, the CC UPOB e.V. was founded as registered association. The statutory objectives of the non-profit association in the field of ultra-precise surface processing include linking scientific know-how from multiple fields, promoting science and research, as well as fostering the flow of information among research institutes and industry. Ultimately, the association was founded to contribute to the development of new technologies and the utilisation of technological innovations in Germany within the above-mentioned framework and in the interest of the general public.

Through CC UPOB e.V., the following activities were supported in the first years as well:

–          “Student AFM kit”, “Info on standardisation”, financing of feasibility studies on topics of ultra-precise surface processing – within the framework of the third-party funded project AGeNT (“Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Nanotechnologie-Kompetenzzentren”).

–          Information events in the area of nanotechnology, including the organisation of a series of public lectures over several years at the Landesmuseum Braunschweig, contact person for the BMBF NanoTruck in Braunschweig.

With the termination of BMBF funding, the focus was concentrated, in response to the members’ requests, on the:

• Carrying out comparative measurements on transfer standards for aspherical characterisation.
• Organisation of workshops and high-level expert meetings to discuss progress in ultra-precision surface processing and measurement technology, with a focus on aspherical measurement technology
• Organisation of trade fair presentations to promote the dialogue between research and industry

Today, the CC UPOB e.V. is a solely member-financed association of practitioners, developers and researchers in the field of ultra-precision surface processing. Through the events regularly organised over the last 25 years on topics of manufacturing and metrology, through the meetings at the members and the appearances (UPOB joint stand) at important trade fairs such as LASER in Munich or OPTATEC in Frankfurt on the topic of ultra-precise surface processing, the competence centre is a vibrant association with currently 34 members predominantly from the SME sector. The CC UPOB e.V. office is located at the PTB in Braunschweig. Following the underlying philosophy of the BMBF competition in 1998, the CC UPOB e.V. has been operating as a sustainable, self-supporting network structure for 25 years (www.upob.de).

During the anniversary year, the activities of CC UPOB e.V. include the 13th High Level Expert Meeting of CC UPOB, which was held in Wetzlar on 28/29 March 2023, and the participation with a joint stand at the LASER trade fair, from 27-30 June.

Thematically, the CC UPOB e.V. will continue to be guided by the contributions and impulses of its members, who support the association and keep it alive.